Upper Heyford Not-so-friendly blockade

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BOTH the current massacre by unemployment of human hopes, dignity from reports:

THE full force of Thames Valley Police did not squash the four-day peaceful blockade at Upper Heyford USAF base last week. The base houses 71 F 1-11s, some of which are on permanent alert, and is due to take part in a NATO exercise within three days of the blockade ending.

The action was seen by its organisers as a public withdrawal of consent for these preparations for nuclear war.

Most demonstrators considered the action a success, and were satisfied with the disruption caused -to the base and the amount of news coverage received.

• Between police and protestors it was not exactly the 'friendly relations' reported. Both sides worked at ensuring the demo remained non-violent although the police were extra full of themselves on occasions, apparently threatening people with arrest if they refused to stop sitting on MOD fences.

No doubt Thames Valley police have been running their own non-violence training workshops - it would be interesting to see their role play sessions. One of the officers carrying out searches on arrested demonstrators kept La nauseatingly sugary patter obviously designed to divert attention from what he was doing.

Police conversation centred on the cost to the ratepayers of all this extra work and how exhausted they were with all the overtime they were getting in.

Relations were severely strained when many of those arrested protested angrily about having their photographs taken without permission. Those who didn't realise this was illegal soon did when they were shown a list of their rights.

Many of _us had been taken by surprise and were photographed whilst being led into the emergency marquees set up. We managed to shout to warn people following on and those who heard covered their faces before entering.

One woman who kept her face covered with a scarf throughout all the questioning procedures had to suffer a barrage of insulting jokes from amused officers.

We were told that the photos were instant and not up to standards required for record keeping, could not be copied, and were taken only to help them and us get through procedures as quickly as possible. The direct campaign continues through the joined a blockade at arrests. Two women whi Apparently the photos did this by matching an arresting officer to a prisoner - of dubious assistance to a prisoner one might think. It is vital that all those arrested and illegally photographed make formal complaints to Thames Valley Police.

Many of the demonstrators were adamant about not paying fines. They felt that the police, by arresting, so many people, had effectively removed the fear of arrest and had turned it into a natural extension of the demonstration. The coming months could see many Heyford demonstrators in prison.

One sad note - a number of women attending a mixed blockade for the first timè decided never to do so again. They said they were sick of being ordered about by male demonstrators, and

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for unilateral nuclear disarmament election period. Last week thousands Upper Heyford, despite hundreds of • were there report on the action.

that the action had lacked the feeling of gaiety and solidarity they experienced on women-only peace actions.

Leone Griggs from Hull writes:

We held a four day blockade in order to publicise the presence of nuclear armed American F 1-11 bomber planes at the base, which is currently being expanded to accommodate a new generation of planes. The blockaders endured torrential rain to sit down in front of vehicles attempting to enter the base. Over 2,000 people took part in the blockade and over 750 were arrested.

Following this blockade, the successful peace festival on May Day and the women's day of action on May 24, peace campaigners in Hull will start holding silent peace vigils every Friday evening from 5.00 pm to 6.00 pm in various shopping centres in the city. The first one was at the Prospect shopping centre on June 3.

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